The Jewel of India, literally and metaphorically, Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee has embarked on his eternal journey, but the legacy of the politics of coordination and harmony he has left behind will be a pathway that the coming generations of politicians will have to tread behind him.
Initially his mortal remains were placed in his official residence at 6, Krishna Menon Marg, where unending crowds of mourners laid wreaths on his body till as late as 1.30 am at night. Then his body was taken to the BJP’s official headquarters, where stalwarts like PM Narendra Modi, BJP national president Amit Shah, former Deputy PM LK Advani and others paid their due respects.
By that time, around 9 am on Friday last, the organisers at the office tried to get mourners to enter from the front gate and exit from the other one. This went on for a while, till the impatient mourners lost their patience and started jumping gates from both sides. This is because it was taking roughly 25-30 seconds for a person to lay the wreath. Later, the floral wreaths of the fans were taken away and they were asked simply to bow at the body and move ahead. But even that did not thin out the crowd of followers of the late leader.
Initially, the PM did not have any intention of walking behind the cortege all the way to the cremation ground, Rashtriya Smriti Sthal. The Special Protection Group commandos had his unbreachable vehicle ready. But due to the swelling crowd pressure, the vehicle could not even reach the PM. Hence, Modi came out of the BJP office and just stood there.
At the same time, the President of India and a heavy posse of top diplomats were waiting at the venue of cremation, and their programmes too could not be derailed. So at around 1.15 post noon, the PM suddenly decided that he would walk it all the way.
Initially, Amit Shah, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and a few other ministers followed suit, but midway somewhere, Rajnath scrambled on to his vehicle and vamoosed. The SPG was desperately trying to get a bullet-proof bus with transparent windows so that the PM would be safe and yet jeep his publicity stunt alive, but the bus never arrived. Thus it is that Modi had to walk all the way to Smriti Sthal, the last resting place of Vajpayee.
Just an indicator to the coming days of politics!